Service Quality and Client Demographic Profile: A Correlational Study Among Clients of the Department of Public Works and Highways – Isabela 4th District Engineering Office

Abstract

The focus of this descriptive-correlational study was the relationship between clients’ demographic profiles and perceived service quality at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Isabela 4th District Engineering Office, located in San Isidro, Isabela. The SERVQUAL framework was adopted to assess five dimensions of service quality, namely Tangibles, Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, and Empathy. The data-gathering technique consisted of a self-administered questionnaire filled in by a simple random sample of 48 clients, with an equal number of males and females. The analysis was conducted using weighted means, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, and One-Way ANOVA techniques. The overall perception of the service quality at the DPWH – Isabela 4th District Engineering Office turned out to be very high (M=4.03), with the service quality dimension of Assurance being rated the highest (4.34) and the service quality dimension of Responsiveness the lowest (3.80) because of the long waiting time of clients. Interestingly, there were no significant correlations discovered between sex and service quality dimensions (p>.05). Age had a significant positive correlation with Reliability only (r=.303, p=.036). Initially, civil status was proven to have strong differences regarding Reliability (p=.022), Assurance (p=.049), and overall quality of service (p=.044). Education gave the most relevant results for four parts of the research, namely: tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, and empathy; it proved to greatly influence the research (p=.020). The results show that service perception is defined by context and can therefore be affected by education and civil status. Firstly, queue management is suggested. Secondly, assurance of service standards should be implemented.